Two Arrested Following Police Chase

Two New York men were charged with multiple offenses Thursday after they allegedly attempted to use fraudulent credit cards at the South Whitehall Target store and then tried to elude police via automobile and on foot.

South Whitehall police said Varnard Gaton, 21, of Laurelton, N.Y. and Janeek Nichols, 21, of Brooklyn, N.Y., fled the Target parking lot at 1600 Cedar Crest Blvd. after store employees notified police that the pair were suspected of attempting to use fraudulent credit cards for purchases at approximately 7:35 p.m.

Gaton and Nichols left the Target parking lot in a grey BMW, police said, and attempted to elude them by driving across Cedar Crest Boulevard and onto Office Center Road.

Police said the suspects hit a parked car and eventually smacked their car into a tree on Office Center Road during the pursuit. Both suspects fled the vehicle and attempted to escape on foot, police said, and were quickly taken into custody.

Police said Gaton and Nichols were charged with forgery, access to a device of fraud, theft by deception, receiving stolen property, reckless endangerment and criminal conspiracy.

Gaton and Nichols were also charged with felony counts of fleeing police and attempting to elude police. They were taken to Lehigh County central booking and later remanded to Lehigh County Prison.